[kas0317]

Hello all,

I desperately need some hedgehog help. I own 3 hedgehogs, 2 of which are pretty happy and friendly. However, my third hedgehog (Huffington J. Bean aka Bean for short) is very aggressive and bites.

While I realize there are several reasons that hedgehogs bite, Bean basically bites because he is throwing a tantrum. He is VERY independent and loves to explore. He doesn't like being held AT ALL. This is fine, and I'm usually happy to take him out and just let him wander and adventure around my room. However, any time I go to put him away, he gets really upset about it. I think he bites me in the hopes that I'll drop him and he can skitter away before being put back in his cage. (He hasn't succeeded yet though...I haven't dropped him once.) He'll bite his blanket, my hands, or even his own quills. And when he bites he'll flail his head back and forth, like a dog playing with a chew toy. This is especially painful if it is my skin he is biting. Also, I am worried because when he bites at his own quills, he occasionally bites the tips off and I'm worried about him swallowing them and causing internal damage.

I've tried a few different things to see if I can correct his biting habits. I often try to pick him up and set him back down without returning him to his cage, so he knows that my holding him doesn't always mean he has to go back into his cage. I've also tried using a water bottle to squirt him in his bum when he bites my hands. And on occasion, I've even given him a small boop on his nose, to let him know he needs to let go. But none of this seems to be helping. He also gets handled daily and usually gets at least an hour of playtime, if not more.

Any ideas on new things I can try to help him overcome his biting habit? Any suggestions would be most appreciated! Thanks!

 

[twobytwopets]

First things to get out of the way, don't "bop" him or squirt him with water to get him to stop. That won't get you anywhere but further from your goal of being able to handle him.

Walk through a bite. What happens before he bites, during and after?
Do you pick him up before he plays in the room? Does he bite then?
Is he playing when you pick him up? Maybe a game of tug or scooting something, that you are interrupting.

What your describing sounds like he is scared.

 

[kas0317]

Thank you twobytwopets for your quick response.

I stopped any of those techniques usually after the first or second try without any response. I've also tried things like not responding, or holding still if he bites, but that doesn't seem to change his attitude either. And I never raise my voice at him, because I know that can sometimes just make them more mad.

As far as what he does for biting, it's hard because he doesn't usually give any verbal or visual cues. He doesn't huff, hiss, or click and his quills are always down. He doesn't show any signs of being threatened or scared. If he's biting because I'm interrupting something, then that's hard to say too. If he's at play, at rest, in motion, etc. he'll pretty much bite if I interrupt anything he is doing. I often sit on the floor by him when he plays, and he's happy to be around me...just not my hands. He likes my feet, climbing on my legs, stomach, sniffing my hair. But if my hand is on the ground at all, he'll come charging at it, whether or not I'm even trying to pick him up.

I'm not sure if he thinks biting my hand is a game of sorts? Or if he is just trying to make his point that he's the "dominant" one?

 

[twobytwopets]

No, it doesn't sound even close to a dominance thing.
I'd check lotions, hand soaps, perfumes or any possible food smell on your hands.
You clearly have to pick him up to let him come out and play out of his cage, does he bite then?

 

[kas0317]

I don't really wear lotions or perfumes (I'm allergic to most of those myself, so don't wear them) and my hand soaps are usually mild or non-scented.

He won't bite me if I take him out of his cage and IMMEDIATELY put him down. But if I hold onto him any longer than 30 seconds after he's out, he'll start biting, usually because he wants to be down and explore.

 

[twobytwopets]

When he bites you, after that 30 seconds, what happens?

 

[kas0317]

If I continue to hold him, he'll try to bite me again. Or if he can't get at me, that's when he'll start biting his own quills. So I'll usually just try and set him down as quickly (and safely) as possible without receiving another bite.

 

[twobytwopets]

This may sound harsh.... He has trained you, and doesn't even give you a biscuit when you do what he wants.

Try this. Pick him up with a piece of fleece. If he bites the fleece, continue holding him. If he gets skin, continue holding him. He bit you and your hands and all your fingers are still there. It hurts, I won't deny that at all. But when it happens, the world doesn't end.
If you sit him down when he bites, it's no different than you giving him a juicy mealworms every time he bites you.

Let him explore after he's calmed down. It sounds like there is still a panic reaction. Think fight or flight response. He tries biting, if that doesn't work he escalates to frantic behavior. What comes after that? Most likely figuring out that his actions aren't working.
Those are all animalistic behaviors.
They aren't fun but very understandable when you consider he is a little prey animal.
In this case bite=don't eat me! I'll eat you back.
Crap... I'm still being held... Quick make myself look a little psycho and I won't be eaten. And think coyote in a trap, I'm caught, must do anything to be let go even if it means injuring themselves.

 

[kas0317]

Thank you! I appreciate the advice! And time you took to help!

I knew it probably wasn't helping his behavior habits to indulge him, but since I was so worried about him doing damage to himself, I just ended up setting him down. I'll work with him and try to see if we get anywhere by altering his "reward" from being set down to continue to being held. Hopefully he and I can make some progress together!

 

[twobytwopets]

I was editing it while you were replying. A little perspective was added.
The shirt trick may help as well.

Re reading, how old is he and how long have you had him? Has this always been the situation or is it a change from his normal?

 

[kas0317]

He will be 2 years old in January. I adopted him when he was around 5 months old so I've had him over a year. For a time he and I were doing really well. I used to put my hand out for him and he'd climb right into it when he wanted to get out, or when I needed to put him away. But then one day when I held my hand out for him, he bit me. And then he did it again. So I finally stopped holding my hand out for him to climb into, because every time I did, he would bite me instead.

I tried to figure out at the time if there was something that had changed. His environment was the same though, and his food and water were the same. I did a lot of research too, trying to figure out if he was sick and wasn't feeling well, or if he had mites or something that was bothering him. I even took him to the vet for a checkup, just to be sure. But they said by all appearances that he looked healthy.